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Another Econlockhatchee Fishing Report

June 2, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Another Econlockhatchee Fishing Report

Thanks for reading another Econlockhatchee fishing report. We’re early this week because I’ll be on the road.

Not a dragonfly, a black swallowtail works pickerelweed blossoms.

Sunday morning found me at Orlando Wetlands Park to chase dragonflies with a camera. Although the website says they open at 0800, the sign on the gate says they open at sunrise. In case you want to get there for the morning light. Anyway, there were loads of dragonflies.

Needham’s skimmer, male.

 

Needham’s skimmer, female. Viva le difference!

 

Four-spotted pennant, male.

 

Last one, four spotted pennant, female.

Memorial Day I did what I usually do- stayed home and hid. The plan worked perfectly.

Tuesday morning Susan dropped me, a fly rod, a camera, and the kayak off at the Econ, a little after 0800. The gauge read 1.9 feet. I mostly just floated and enjoyed the day, doing lots of wading, catching a few bass (no big ones) on a mouse fly, and taking pictures, until 1300. Then, supposed to meet Susan at 1500, I paddled like I meant it, for two-and-a-half hours. I was a little late…

Ebony jeweling, female. Didn’t see any males.

Wednesday I dropped myself off at the Econ, same kit as the previous day. I only took a few pictures though, mostly spending my time fly fishing. I lost the mouse in a bush, lost another surface fly on a strike, had a popper body come off the hook (need to talk to my fly tyer about that), and tried a streamer for a while.

The disintegrating popper. Next fish blew it up.

The streamer was tied for the Ocala trip, was supposed to imitate a golden shiner. I don’t think it looked at all like a shiner. Neither did some of the bass I saw follow it without taking.

The “golden shiner” electric sushi streamer.

But quite a few bass (no big ones) did take it, and the redbellies loved it. You wouldn’t think a redbelly could get a size 1 hook in its mouth, but there ya go.

Amazing cypress tree, probably the most unusual one on the river.

 

Buttonbush blossom. Smells the roses!

Thursday (as I write this) I ran errands and packed. I’ll be off in the morning, going to chase some trout with Tammy. I’m not a good trout fisherman, but I am bringing some camera gear.

That’s the early another Econlockhatchee Fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Ride a bike! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , ,

Indian River Lagoon Slams Fishing Report

May 27, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Indian River Lagoon Slams Fishing Report

Thanks for reading this Indian River Lagoon slams fishing report. There’s also an ode to odonata in here.

And while you’re out enjoying yourself this Memorial Day weekend, be safe, and spend some time thinking about all the people who have made so many sacrifices so that we can enjoy our way of life. The beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944 jump to mind…

Odonata are one of 28 orders of insects.* Included in this order are the dragonflies and damselflies. You’ll find (if you’re looking) six families of dragonflies and three families of damselflies in Florida, over 100 colorful, insect-eating species all told.

Female four-spotted pennant.

These insects eat other insects, especially insects humans find annoying- gnats, no-see-ums, mosquitos. They do so energetically and colorfully- odonates are beautiful creatures and dragonflies are amazing fliers! Everyone who spends time in the outdoors should be thankful for the work the odonates do for us.

Male blue dasher.

I would like to be able to identify all the Florida species. Right now I can identify three or four. I am what is called a work in progress!

Don’t know the family, never mind genus and species. Anyone know?

* The taxa go Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus species.

Sunday

Found me at Orlando Wetlands Park, looking for dragonflies (and other stuff) to photograph. It’s a great way to get out and observe nature without having to compete for limited weekend fishing spots.

Needham’s skimmer, female.

Monday

Honey-dos. Move along folks, nothing to see here!

Monday evening found me looking at google maps, looking for new fishing spots, something I probably spend too much time doing. That having been said, I noticed something I never had before.

Tuesday

Found me in my kayak with a camera, a fly rod and a spin rod. First I tried to get dragonfly photos, which was somewhat frustrating. When the wind blows, the dragonfly’s perch waves around- very hard to focus. The frogs were a little easier!

Then it was time for checking out my “new” discovery. After only a few minutes I got a small snook with the spin rod. It was the only snook caught, although several handsome specimens were observed. The fly rod accounted for two redfish and a tarpon, all by casting blindly. Best of all, the place was reasonably easy to fish, even with a 15-knot wind. I’ll be back.

The water in the IRL isn’t crystal clear, but it’s not filled with algae either. Sight fishing is still possible if there’s good light.

It may be small, but it’s a snook!

 

The black-and-purple was the ticket this week!

Wednesday

Met Mike Conneen and River at 0615, different place on the IRL. It was not hot fishing by any means, but it was fairly steady. There was a fly rod in my kayak, which never got touched. WHOOOOOSSHHHHHH said the wind! We both got slams of trout, reds, and snook. Most of the fish were small, but there were a couple decent ones.

Odd observation- when we first got out onto the water, a string of pelicans flew over, 14 or 15 birds. The pelican in the middle of the string looked odd. Because it was in fact a spoonbill. Never noticed that before!

Thursday

Went to the IRL, different spot. It was blowey again, so my plan was to use the kayak to access the area I wanted to fly fish, and then wade.

Plans often get modified, but I did walk in the water for a couple of miles. For the sake of symmetry, I’d like to say that I brought a spin rod and it never got touched, but it got used. There goes the symmetry.

I fly fished for about three hours. The first fish was a dinker snook. At least it only took an hour of casting to get! Then a fat, picture-worthy trout nailed the streamer. Two species! A redfish laughed at my fly- I thought the presentation was spot on. I changed the fly. A red in the slot nailed the streamer on a blind cast. Three species!

It’s hard to be stealthy when tied to a kayak that the waves are slapping off of. Several fish were spooked this way. I picked up the spin rod.

Two more reds, one only a few months old, and a very fat trout hit the shad. After about six hours of wading, I loaded the boat onto the car roof, calling it a day well lived.

Friday

Errands and planning. Got to get ready for the weekend!

Three different species were caught every day I (and Mike) fished this week. It ain’t the old days, but there is some fishing out there, at least at the moment. That’s the Indian River Lagoon Slams Fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Ride a bike! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Econ was On Fire Report and Photo Essay

May 14, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The Econ was On Fire Report

Thanks for reading this Econ was On Fire report.

Monday

Early morning I drove to Brevard Zoo for a 7:30 rendezvous with Hope Leonard, who runs the restoration program for Restore Our Shores. I was a volunteer. We were going clam monitoring!

Measuring distance, digging clams.

ROS has research clam beds in the Indian River Lagoon throughout Brevard county. We went to five different sites to see how the clams were doing. You’d think with all the algae in the water, filter feeders like clams would have it made. But, crown conchs and other predators make clam life more dangerous than a casual glance would make it seem. Hope says the clams have about a 25 percent survival rate to this point.

The clams are protected by a net.

It was wet work in water that, if we’re being honest, didn’t make you want to jump in. But I got to spend a day with three strong, intelligent, and lovely women, doing some basic science that the lagoon needs done. Didn’t care for the drive to the zoo, but I’ll do it again. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Hope.

Hope digs clams!

 

Wasn’t there a band called Counting Clams?

 

Tuesday

Had my eye surgery follow-up. Everything looks great- my eyes are 20/20 without glasses. When, as a 20-year old, I was at the rifle range at Fort Dix learning how to shoot, my buddies were hitting a Canadian bull target at 25 meters. I couldn’t see it. I’ve been wearing corrective lenses ever since, until two weeks ago. Now all I need are readers for close up. The adjustment should be easy!

Wednesday

We were under a small craft advisory. But the Econ river gauge was at 1.7, below my “threshold.”

Rod attached to bike.

 

The vehicle awaits.

Before I learned to drive, my bicycle was my transportation to my fishing spots- Mystic Lake, Wright’s Pond, the Malden Res, Brooks Pond, etc. I don’t often bicycle fish any more, but I did Wednesday, a mile-and-a-half each way, to go bass fishing in a place where the wind wouldn’t be a problem. The fish were biting! At the end of my line was a plastic Culprit worm on a 2/0 hook. I got five stumpknockers, big ones, on that rig, as well as a couple big redbellies. Bass to almost four pounds, and probably released 15 or so. And the missed strikes! I need to use that bike more often.

The river flowed through a beautiful cypress floodplain.

 

The Econ, kinda small.

 

Good fish, though!

 

Even the sunfish hit the worm.

Thursday

The kayak, perhaps a more “normal” way to access fishing spots, was used to access a different section of the river this day, even though we were still under the sc advisory. I figured with the low water, wading would be an option. I hate beating up the same place day after day, so to a different section I went.

One on fly…

The fishing was at least as good as the previous day, and I was able to use my fly rod, too. It worked better than the spin rod! Yeah, the Econ was on fire, just awesome.

…and one on plastic.

Friday

A bonus Banana River Lagoon report!

I launched at KARS. Within 10 minutes what certainly looked like a small school of fish, fifteen or so,  came down the shoreline towards me. I tossed a Clouser Minnow at them and got immediate gratification!

I got three of these in about two hours.

I followed that school for a couple miles and a couple hours, hooking three more reds and boating two- the other one bulled into the shoreline trees and cut me off.

After I lost them I just scouted, looking around for more fish (not many), checking out the water (astonishingly clean past the radar station- almost crisp!), noted the total lack of any green thing growing on the bottom, and then packed it in. Had the boat on the roof by 1130 hours. Darned good morning.

That’s the Econ was On Fire report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Ride a bike! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , ,

The Bassheaven Report

May 7, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The Bassheaven Report

Thanks for reading this Bassheaven report. I returned to Ocala National Forest this week. I can assure you that summer has made its way into central Florida, despite what the astronomers might say.

Last week I was all excited about my Squirmles flies. The fish eat them. Then the Squirmles fall apart. Failed experiment. Stick to rabbit strips, John.

Tuesday

A bit of loveliness at Cowpen Pond.

In the morning I made my way up to the Forest. First fishing stop was Cowpen Pond, a beautiful place. Dropped the kayak in and began a short reconnaissance. Because the fish weren’t hitting like a pack of starving piranhas, I only stayed there an hour or so. I suspect it deserves more attention- it was my first time there, after all!

Lots of water lilies all through the Forest.

From there I went to Echo Lake. This one was real small- five acres! I took a few casts from shore, didn’t see anything or get a bite, so I left.

Went to Sellers Lake. Cast a few times from the shoreline, wasn’t feeling it, left and went to Farles Lake. It gave up quite a few bass, all small, and danged few on the fly.

From there I made my way to Alexander Springs Recreation Area. Checked in, and met Nick Colantonio at the campsite. We dined, and chatted, and watched it get dark, and crashed, Nick in his tent, I in the van. It was warm. Glad I have fans!

Wednesday

Alexander Springs Run.

We went to Alexander Springs Run. The bass, all small ones, bit well in the morning on both flies and plastic worms. They were still on beds there, the only ones we saw. As the sun climbed, the action shut down. We paddled up to the spring. It’s such a pretty creek! Fished most of the way back with two dinkers to show for it.

Why do I call it bass heaven??

It was still pretty early. Nick wanted to hang out. I went to Sellers Lake. I did not get any monsters but action was good on both fly and plastic. I found schooling fish and missed five strikes on as many casts. I checked the fly- broken hook. Put a new one on, got a couple fish, started missing them again. Checked the fly- broken hook. I don’t think I’ve ever broken two hooks on a trip before, much less in ten minutes. I’m in a boat- it’s not like I’m hitting rocks on the backcast.

Sellers Lake sunset.

Thursday

Nick wasn’t feeling well. I went to Sellers Lake alone, with the idea of paddling through the canal to Chain-O-Lakes. The trip through the canal was about a mile long, the cranes giving a Jurassic feel to the spectacular morning. Got fish immediately upon arrival, first on plastic, then on the bug. Schoolies were chasing bait, exciting fishing although the fish were small.

The lake had a small beach, rare in my brief Forest experience. I went there to have lunch and spend some time not sitting in the kayak. I waded and fly cast without result to a grassline. Reeled in to wade back and take lunch. A five-pound bass swam right past me- I swear it was checking me out, sensing it was safe, perhaps?

Landing the beast.

While eating I was tossing crumbs to the sunnies and guppies, watching them jockey for position to get the cheese. I look up, and sitting fifteen feet away is a four-pound bass, just watching me. Knowing it wouldn’t work, I bent down, picked up the spin rod, and tossed the worm out five feet beyond the fish. To my utter astonishment the fish went right over and sucked it in. I caught it! Best fish of the trip!

The photo doesn’t do this fish justice.

Returned to camp to check on Nick. He wanted to try the late shift. We went to Grasshopper Lake, a beautiful piece of water. We got a few fish but it was slow…

The bug in question, in the maw of the fish.

Friday

The dragonflies were plentiful and colorful.

We went to Sellers Lake. A few schoolies on fly, a few fish blind-casting plastic. I was to drive home afterwards, so quit when the action slowed.

Nick makes his way out on the lake.

It was great seeing Nick, and Ocala Forest truly is bass heaven. But I won’t be camping in Florida again until about November. It’s getting to be dawn patrol time of year for anglers.

Flycasting to schoolies.

Nick, thanks for joining me!

That’s the bassheaven report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , ,

Fished One Day Report

March 19, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Fished One Day Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the fished one day report.

Monday- I’d been procrastinating about changing the lower unit gear oil and water pump impeller in the 8 hp Mercury that pushes the Bang-O-Craft. Based on Monday’s weather forecast, I decided to get it done. The job went fairly smoothly.

I took the vessel for a test drive out of CS Lee park on the St. Johns. It ran well. Back at the ramp I met a gentleman who seemed eager to talk about his day. “I got four catfish, two 25-pounders.” he said. “Whatchya getimon?” I wanted to know. “Saltwater shrimp,” he said. The day was not very pretty- I was glad he had some fish to show for his efforts.

Tuesday it rained much of the day, stayed home. Wednesday I had to wait here for a delivery. My new books came!

Thursday I went kayak fishing in the IRL. Did not touch a fish with the fly rod, but got a snook and a trout on a 3″ DOA Shrimp.

Friday the Eye Clinic at the VAMC at Lake Baldwin performed a cataract surgery on my right eye. Things seem to be going well, although I’m sure there will be an adjustment period.

My daughter-in-law Catalina texted me – “I would make an eye pun but I don’t want to be any cornea than I already am.”

Son Maxx texted me – “I think you should paint that eyepatch black and then give it a little skull and crossbones.”

Such comedians I have!

Because of the surgery I will not be fishing this week. No report next week.

That’s the fished one day report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active! Take care of your eyes!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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Lots of Fishing Report

February 26, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Lots of Fishing Report. And M-M-Manatees!

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the lots of fishing report. Got out Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (twice), and to the beach on Friday.

Sunday-

Sunday usually finds me home. The weather was nice and nothing pressing was going on, so I went shore fishing with a light spin rod along a mile-long stretch of the Econ. I worked it hard for about four hours, tossing plastic shad and plastic worms. I got three small bass. Did not see any kind of fish in the water other than a few guppies- no tilapia, no gar, no plecostamus, no sunfish, certainly no bass. Shore fishing the Econ is a full-body workout!

Monday-

The DOA Shrimp found this puppy redfish.

Not learning my lesson, because hope springs eternal in the heart of a fisherman, I tried another spot on the Indian River Lagoon. When I got there, the birds were singing like it’s spring or something! Blackbirds, grackles, coots, and other birds whose calls I don’t know. It was awesome! And, I didn’t get skunked! I saw a few redfish and two (yes, two) snook. I got shots at none of them. The water was discolored enough that I was on top of them before I saw them. Blind-casting, four or five dinker trout and one small red hit my spin lures. I hardly touched the fly rod. A beautiful if breezy day.

Tuesday-

I had a favorite spot on the St. Johns River. Thick with weeds, it was hard for motorboats to fish, and there were lots of fish there. Then the state started contracting folks to spray herbicides, thousands of gallons of it. Most of the turtles got a “virus” and died. The shad stopped coming. The fishing went completely to hell, including my favorite spot.

So much vegetation was killed off that the manatees in the St. Johns, which should at this point be the chubbiest in the state, have to be fed lettuce –https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/22/florida-has-fed-manatees-25-tons-of-lettuce/ ,

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/jan/21/officials-florida-manatees-eating-lettuce-in-pilot-program/ ,

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/01/manatees-in-florida-need-greater-protection-lawsuit-says/ ,

https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-help/take-action/floridas-algae-blooms/

-because they have no food. Nice work, Florida.

Orlando Sentinel photo.

Anyway, I went to the former favorite spot on Tuesday. There are still no weeds, other than water lilies and cattails. I worked it hard, getting a half-dozen sub-adult bass and three crappie.

Crappie on the 3″ shad.

The crappie hit, in order, 1) the 3″ shad, 2) a 7 1/2 inch Culprit worm (?!?!), and 3) a 3″ chartreuse soft plastic curly tail. If I were fishing for crappie, I certainly would never pick any of those lures, but there ya go.

Wednesday-

Trout! Gurgler! It’s a beautiful thing!

Tried another area in the Indian River Lagoon. I found a hole that had a few nice trout, and I actually got one on a fly rod gurgler. There was a redfish busting along the shoreline. Got him on a 3″ shad! WOW!! Got a couple more trout on the spin rod. It felt like a career day.

Redfish on the shad!

 

And another trout!

On the way home, I stopped at a new (to me) spot off SR 50, first time there. I started throwing a fly rod mouse. Got a bass on the second cast. Yes, it was small. I was there about 90 minutes and caught more fish than I had all day the previous day, with the best about three pounds. Nice find.

Thursday-

Susan asked me to stay home – she was having a chair delivered. After the delivery it was too late to fish. I went and picked up the jonboat – Cha-CHING! – and bought a new fuel tank for it. Hopefully it will stop getting me stuck now.

Friday-

Wanted to run the jonboat, but Susan asked me to go to the beach. It was a beautiful day! The water at Playalinda was kind of dirty. There were relatively few surf fishermen. I talked to one of them. She and her husband had gotten four small whiting and a catfish, using shrimp for bait. Did not see anything that compelled me to go back to the car and get my fishing rod.

That’s the lots of fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , ,

Another Central Florida Week Report

February 18, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Another Central Florida Week Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the Another Central Florida week report. I fished, I hiked, I paddled- nice week!

Guest blogger Patrick Young has another post this week, about buying gifts for campers. Some good tips in there!

I am selling off many of my lures. The ones that I have put up for sale first can be seen at this link…

On to the report-

Monday-

Valentine’s Day! Spent some time with my valentine!

Last week, talking about the Bang-O-Craft motor, I wrote, “Stupid motor. It needs professional help, I’m afraid.” I brought it to Ahoy Marine in Sanford. I’m tired of getting stranded. Other errands most of the day.

Tuesday-

More errands in the morning. In the afternoon I walked a stretch of the FT from Barr Street in Oviedo to Lockwood Boulevard.

I met a couple, through hikers who had come from Pensacola. Yes, from Pensacola, walking the whole way. They had met 20 years earlier at an AA meeting. Didn’t work for him- he was drinking vodka from the bottle when I encountered them. He was a piece of work. He said he knew everything, and was never wrong. He had also, earlier that day, almost been arrested by the Oviedo police for driving a motorized shopping cart from the Publix store at the corner of Lockwood Blvd. to the trail head. There’s more, but you get the idea, I hope. I got away from them as fast as I could.

Florida waterfall along the FT.

 

On a bluff overlooking the Econlockhatchee.

Wednesday-

Took a kayak to the Indian River Lagoon in spite of the small craft advisory. I figured I could wade, just using the boat for conveyance. The plan worked great, except there were hardly any fish. I saw six in five hours. Had two good shots, both of which should have worked. Neither did- the fish spooked off the shad (first shot) and fly (second shot). The water was pretty clean! Found a dead manatee, went to the FWC office there at the causeway to report it. The dispatcher told me, “Yeah, they’re everyplace.” “They” being dead manatees. That’s sad. No grass, no manatees.

Thursday-

That’s a small bass!

Took a kayak down the Econ, starting at 419. Brought a fly and a spin rod. Got one small bass on fly. Got several bass on the spin rod, along with a couple redbellies. Got a picture of one of the several mammoth gators I saw, too. Met Ben, the chef at Mission Barbeque. Beautiful day, not long enough!

A little larger…

 

They got bigger as the day went on. I lost the best one, of course.

 

And Godzilla!

Friday-

Boring stuff, including writing this. Hopefully I’ll at least get a walk in this afternoon.

That’s my Another Central Florida Week report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , ,

Everglades City Report

February 4, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Everglades City Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Everglades City report. Got some fishing in this week!

But first, something out of the ordinary for this blog. While watching musicians on youtube, I ran across a woman by the name of Jackie Venson. This lady can lay down some tasty guitar licks! I’ve never seen a woman play guitar like this. Not surprising, she’s a Berklee School grad. Anyway, check it out. If you don’t like it, just turn it off!

Her guitar work on this cut sends shivers down my spine!

If you like it, she’s got a couple concerts recorded on youtube. One of them is at this link…  If you like her, spread the word. She’s relatively new and could use the support…

Monday, went to the eye doctor. I have a bad cataract in the right eye, needs surgery. My Uncle Leo always told me, gettin’ old ain’t for sissies. Sadly, he is spot on.

When I got home, I packed my stuff and drove to Everglades City ranger station, got a backcountry permit for two nights on Jewell Key.

Tuesday morning, I packed the gear into the kayak and caught the outgoing tide all the way there. It was kind of windy. Before I even stopped to make camp, I went to the gulf side of the key and started fishing. I had to wade- it was too windy and rough to fish from the kayak.

I started with a spin rod, three-inch shad, trying to find out if anyone was home. Jewell Key has been good to me, but last time there, there were no fish. Before long I got a ladyfish, then a trout. I put the spinner away and started tossing a Clouser Minnow.

In this file photo from an earlier trip, Maxx holds a typical sized Jewell Key trout.

I worked my butt off. Did get a few more trout, though, and one diminutive snook. In the meantime, the water was rising, and I was getting hungry. I went to the campsite – no one else there! – and took care of all that camping business.

I laid around for a while, watching clouds and ospreys. Watching the clouds is an exercise in creativity. I see some strange things in those clouds!

I saw a chicken’s body with a seahorse’s head in this cloud. No chemicals involved.

I picked up the spin rod and started casting from camp. A Bite! A Puffer! Then I got a ladyfish, and then the best snook of the trip, not saying much. Maybe three pounds? I just let it go. A few hockey-puck-sized jacks attacked my lure, too.

Any day you catch a puffer is a good day!

Did a little kayaking on the lee side of the island. One trout, another dinker snook. Slow fishing. Watched three guys in a Boston Whaler, in the wind and current, not far off. I wasn’t going out there. They kept making the same drift. Fair amount of hollering going on in that boat. Good for them!

In this file photo from an earlier trip, Alex holds a snook of the size that I caught on this trip.

Back to camp. Pulled the boat up onto the island, got ready for night. Clouds made me think there wouldn’t be much in the way of stargazing, so I lit a campfire. First time in a couple of years. It was nice, watching the flames in their sameness and infinite changes, thinking about the chemical reactions going on in there, feeling the heat.

Built a campfire, first time in a long time.

Watched it get dark. I love watching it get dark. I love dark! Civilization’s fear of darkness makes me sad. I was at least 80 miles from Miami, but it lit up the night sky like a beacon.

The clouds cleared some, so I put out the fire and stargazed until I was almost too cold to get up. Some of my favorite constellations were almost straight overhead. Any Tauruses out there, reading? Geminis? Leos? On the US east coast, your stars are up there right now, as soon as it’s dark.

I crawled into my tent, my sleeping bag. It felt awesome! Checked my phone- 8:30! I’d catch up on some sleep tonight! I wish I had a video camera that could record my dreams. I could make such bizarre movies…

Wednesday was almost a carbon copy of Tuesday. I waded the entire gulf side of the island, fly casting in the wind. Hope springs eternal in the heart of a fisherman. I hit trout fairly regularly, the best being 19 or 20 inches. Never did get the killer strike, though. Got a small pompano. Did get to watch the sun make a complete arc across the heavens, too.

Got a small pompano.

Fished from camp again – nothing. Kayaked the lee side of the island – one trout. The guys in the Boston Whaler were back at the same spot, still hollering. Still good!

No clouds this night – stars should be out. As it got dark, Jupiter and the slimmest of crescent moons followed the sun to the sea in the west. Orion and all his friends came out. I saw a single satellite, pretty odd for the couple hours I laid out there to only see one, especially the way Elon Musk has been tossing them up there.

Jupiter and the crescent moon followed the sun into the sea…

 

The learned observer can find Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Canis Minor in the photo. Leo was lost in Miami’s glare.

Went to bed, wanted to get up early. A little after eight…

Thursday, there were still stars out when I got up- the Great Bear and Scorpius were easily recognized. Packed everything into the boat, ate a simple breakfast (all my meals this trip were simple- no cooking), and hit it. I caught the tide getting out there. I’d have to fight it to get back. Then I had to drive home. So, no fishing this day. Hardly saw any fish, anyway.

That was the theme this trip – there was no bait. The water was cold! I was glad I had waders. But no bait, no fish. And it’s not like there were no fish, I got six species, but there were not many. Nonetheless, I had two full days of getting my nature on, and anything more than that is just a bonus at this point. I might just be a biophiliac…

That’s my Everglades City report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Two Days Out of River Breeze Report

January 22, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Two Days Out of River Breeze Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Two Days Out of River Breeze report. Thanks to everyone who bought some fishing rods! I’ll be donating the unsold rods to some charity, I suspect.

The talented Patrick Young has sent me another guest blog piece, about kids and camping. Read it here…

Last week I wrote, “Tuesday was even more exciting search for tile, orchestrated by Susan!” Needless to say, that story did not end there. I also wrote last week, “Thursday, more car maintenance.” That story did not end there, either.

Monday and Tuesday I started emptying everything out of my office to prepare it for the tile installers. There is no better way to clean a room, or a house, than by completely emptying it. My office is not completely empty yet, but it’s getting there. The installers come Monday, so I know some of what I’ll be doing over the weekend.

I botched the maintenance job I attempted on the van. The gents at Pep Boys made it right on Tuesday. As long as the van was there, I had them do the other job, too. Car should be good to go for a while.

Wednesday, a beautiful, crisp, cloudless day, I put the kayak in the water at River Breeze and paddled to Marsha’s Pond, where I intended to fish. When I got there, there were already two boats there. I pulled up on a shoreline anyway.

A small black drum on a white slider fly.

I was pleasantly surprised how clear the water was. I was also pleasantly surprised to see some fish! The water was cold and clear, there were other boats around, and the fish were not biting very well. I got a small black drum on a white slider, then spooked fish occasionally for a couple hours.

Then I saw something I never expected to, perhaps never again, in the Mosquito Lagoon- a school of redfish.

Granted, it was a small school, maybe two dozen fish. And unfortunately, I moved them by not-quite-running them over. I circled around, staked out the boat, grabbed the fly rod, and went wading, hoping they sat right down again.

They did not. After 30 minutes of looking, I gave up and got back in the boat. Standing with the spin rod in my wader belt, I went looking for them again, now standing in the kayak. Pretty amazing, I found them. A good cast with a DOA Shrimp garnered an immediate strike. This caused the school to vaporize, but I sight-cast to a school of reds and got one, by gar!

Redfish on DOA Shrimp.

Later, I got a rat red on the DOA Shrimp by blind-casting. That was it for the day.

Thursday I went back to River Breeze. Lots of trailers were parked there. I decided that Marsha’s Pond might be too crowded- the water is still high enough for skiffs to go anywhere.

When I got to the first spot I wanted to fish, there were three kayaks there.

When I got to the second spot I wanted to fish, there was a boat anchored there.

When I got to the third spot I wanted to fish, there was a boat anchored there.

When I got to the fourth spot I wanted to fish, there was no boat anchored there. Yay! There were no fish there, either. Boo!

I worked my way into a small tidal creek. Good current was flowing, and this place has been good to me. I got were two redfish which, laid to end, may have made one legal-sized fish. Yes, they were small. But they did take that white slider.

Yes, it defines “dink”.

There were no fish at the next spot. I crossed an empty flat to another small creek, deeper than the first. Good current, again. Wadable. I staked out and went wading, after tying on a Clouser Minnow. I’d cast to the far bank and swing the fly, like fishing for salmon. I kept getting “pinfish bites.” I finally stuck one, a small ladyfish. There were lots of them- I probably caught fifteen. I wore out three Clousers in that creek. The ten-inch reds were in there, not thick, but enough I got ten or so. So I was getting bites, if all small fish.

This was a real one, though.

Then a real fish took. It actually pulled drag! It was the first of a pair of five-pound trout I got. Made my day! Got four or five smaller, in-the-slot trout, too.

The barb on all my fly hooks is crushed down, so I’d like to think I didn’t hurt any of the fish too much. I did not take either of those big trout, beautiful fish, out of the water. Better a live fish and a crappy photo than a great photo and a dead fish!

The weather was awesome, I found a place that had fish, I had it to myself. Fantastic! When the current stopped running the bite stopped. It took me an hour and a half to get back to River Breeze. Aye, ’twas a full day, laddie…

Friday Susan and I went to Blue Spring State Park. The sign at the entrance said there were 431 manatees there that day. I thought one of the rangers had a weird sense of humor (something I know quite a bit about), but there were actually that many there. Incredible, beautiful.

Plenty of beef in the spring run!

The spring run looks great. The water was almost limpid. There were loads of fish in there, including tarpon and snook. There were also tilapia and Plecostamus. There were many hominids on the bank, too.

The entire run comes from this boil.

 

I could not tell what these were.

 

Knew this one, though!

 

 

Kayak tours and rentals available.

After walking to the spring and back, we had a little picnic, trying to plot our next move. We decided to go to nearby Hontoon Island State Park, somewhere we had never been.

We walked three miles.

 

A short ferry ride (free!) took us out to the island. We took a three-mile loop, walking to an Indian mound at the far end of the island. It was a fine day for a walk, partly cloudy, not too hot. And after all that, we hopped in the van, and were home for supper. Another fantasmalyshtical day!

That’s my Two Days Out of River Breeze Report. Thanks for reading!

OH! I have a box of flies (a couple hundred at least) that belonged to the late Bob Stearns, many tied by Bob. It’s a mixed bag of saltwater streamers and poppers, with lots of classic Keys-style tarpon flies! I’m offering them for sale, $25 for the batch. If you can’t come get them, I’ll mail them if you pay the shipping. Contact me if you’re interested, please. home phone- four zero seven nine seven seven five two zero seven

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report

January 14, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report; Rods for Sale

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Econlockhatchee River fishing report, and my attempt to sell some more fishing rods. Like last week, subscribers get first shot at these rods, both spin and casting models.

First, a call to action!

The Tongass National Forest, of Southeast Alaska, is America’s Salmon Forest, one of the last few places on earth where wild salmon, steelhead and trout still thrive. Join us in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s to reinstate roadless protections on the Tongass.  www.americansalmonforest.org/takeaction   #AmericanSalmonForest   #TongassNationalForest   #Tongass77   #AKroadlessrule

Son Alex with a coastal cutthroat trout in the Tongass.

These roadless areas are the underpinnings of Southeast Alaska’s robust fishing and tourism industries, important recreation and subsistence lands, and are essential to the local way of life. This year, the U.S. Forest Service has announced they have a new vision for Southeast Alaska, and that includes putting an end to industrial scale old growth logging. To begin this effort, the USDA Forest Service has launched a 60-day public comment period to reinstate the Roadless Rule on Alaska. The last day to submit comments is January 24, 2022.

Susan with a silver salmon, also in the Tongass.

Take action NOW, please! http://www.americansalmonforest.org/takeaction.html

This is how thick the salmon get in the Tongass! Please take action to help keep it this way!

Now, the week including fishing.

Monday was an exciting day at Autonation Toyota Winter Park. Rocinante needed maintenance!

Tuesday was even more exciting search for tile, orchestrated by Susan!

Wednesday, I put the kayak in the river and started casting a new (for me) floating snakey-looking-foam-and-bunny-strip fly, in spite of the cool temperatures. Many casts were made where the thought was, “That one should get a bite.”

Over an hour went by- no bites. Saw a big alligator. Saw an otter- we had a bit of a staring contest, most extraordinary. But no fish. It was time to change the fly. Went for an ugly hackle fly that had been collecting dust in the box for years.

The ugly fly quickly caught this fish.

Of course, it quickly caught a fish, a nice little bass. Then a redbelly hit it. Then I got a big tilapia! Then, another bass! And then, because it sinks, it got caught on a submerged branch and was lost.

Tilapia on a fly.

It was the only one of those I had, but the box had quite a few wooly buggers. A black one was tied on. Several more redbellies, and a truly dinker bass. Time to paddle back.

On the way back, an enormous alligator slid off the bank as I approached. Some of these Econ gators must be pushing 1000 pounds.

Yes, it was very stanky.

Then I noticed a dead and decayed alligator carcass hanging from the branches of a blown-down tree. Macabre. Took a pic to share. Not a beautiful photo by any means.

Thursday, more car maintenance. Couldn’t afford to have it all done at AutoNation. And there’s still another job to do.

Friday, took a short before-lunch hike on the Florida Trail.

Glorious FT morning!

 

Love the mud bridges!

Then I took an after lunch paddle on the Little Econlockhatchee, where I found an abandoned golf club. You really have to love winter in Florida. I lost two flies to snags, did not see or touch any fish other than guppies.

That’s my Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report. Rods are below! Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Fishing Rods for Sale!

All rods have been used- many were my guide rods. Priced to sell!

Spin Rods

Daiwa Sealine Graphite SG624, 7.5′ Medium Heavy Saltwater, Lure 1-3 oz., Line 12-30 lb.
I have two. Great rods for big tarpon, big jacks, sharks, etc. $50 for the pair.

Daiwa Sealine Graphite SG623, 7′ Medium Heavy Saltwater, Lure 1-3 oz., Line 12-30 lb.
Great rod for big tarpon, big jacks, sharks, etc. $25.

Daiwa Sealine Graphite SG213H, 7′ Medium Saltwater, Lure 3/4-2 1/2 oz., Line 15-25 lb.
Sporty rod for big tarpon, big jacks, sharks, etc. $25

Striker Graphite SPR704, 7′ Light saltwater, Lure 3/8- 3/4 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Daiwa Power Mesh Procaster PR213, 7′ Medium Light Saltwater, Lure 1/2- 1 oz., Line 6-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Shimano Stimula SI-070PMB, 7′ Light Saltwater, Lure 1/8-1/2 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Shimano Compre CPS70M, 7′ Light Saltwater, Lure 3/16-1/2 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

The El Rod Custom-Built Spinning Rod, 7′ Light Saltwater, Lure 3/16- 1/2 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Casting Rods

Daiwa Power Mesh Procaster PR52-T5, 6 1/2′ Extra Heavy, Lure 3/4- 1 1/2 oz., Line 14-40 lb. $25

Browning Gold Medallion Graphite MC-56M, 6 1/2′ Medium, Lure 1/4- 3/4 oz., Line 8-17 lb. $25

Lew’s Laser TXS, 6’10” Medium Heavy Freshwater, Lure 3/8- 5/8 oz., Line 10-20 lb. This baby almost glows in the dark! Shows signs of wear. $10

Rhino Titanium RHTC 602M, 6′, two-piece, Medium, Lure 1/4- 3/4 oz., Line 8-17 lb. $10

Thanks for looking!

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , ,
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